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Funded project SIB:DE Entwicklung

With the funding project SIB:DE ENTWICKLUNG, the German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) has launched the largest German consortium to date dedicated to sodium-ion battery technology. A total of 25 partners from science and industry are working together to develop a sustainable, safe, and cost-effective alternative to lithium-ion batteries. The focus is on the development of large-format, market-ready cells and the evaluation of their recyclability. The goal is to enable rapid transfer of research results into industrial applications.

Battery cells are a key component of the EU’s mobility transition planned for 2030 and are essential for integrating renewable energy into the grid, as well as ensuring reliable power supply—for example, for 5G infrastructure. Currently, lithium-ion batteries dominate the market, but raw material scarcity and dependencies are driving the search for alternatives. Sodium offers clear advantages: it is abundant, inexpensive, and considered safe. Sodium-ion batteries can therefore play an important role in ensuring a stable and sustainable energy supply.

 

Sodium-ion technology represents a promising complement to existing storage solutions. Compared to lithium, cobalt, or nickel, sodium is more widely available, more affordable, and less subject to geopolitical dependencies. The project therefore aims to rapidly transfer the technology into industrial application and to establish a competitive production ecosystem in Germany and Europe.

 

The consortium brings together eleven industrial and fourteen academic partners and is coordinated by EDAG Production Solutions GmbH & Co. KG. As part of the SIB:DE initiative, it builds on the SIB:DE FORSCHUNG project and is supported by a broad industrial advisory board. The close collaboration between research and industry enables rapid scaling and market introduction of the technology. Together, the partners aim to establish a sustainable, competitive, and technologically sovereign value chain for sodium-ion batteries in Europe.

Project partners

  • Funded project MatrEx

    The MatrEx project develops a solvent-free electrode manufacturing process for lithium-ion batteries to reduce costs, eliminate harmful materials, and enable scalable, sustainable production of high-energy cells.

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  • Funded project NERO

    The aim of the NERO project is to develop and demonstrate high-energy, high-power lithium-ion cells in industry-relevant cell formats, in order to optimize both power output and energy density based on high-capacity anode and cathode materials.

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  • Funded project InnoAktiv

    The InnoAktiv project aims to significantly accelerate and improve cell activation in the production of large-format lithium-ion batteries through innovative materials, processes, and equipment.

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